Sneakers worth R1.1m found in house near Mozambican border

The 21 SA Infantry Battalion Bravo Company Commander, Maj Paul Neo Mokolopo, and his team received a tip-off on Saturday afternoon that a house in Ngwenyeni, a settlement near the Mozambican border, was being used to hide contraband goods, reports Mpumalanga News.

According to Capt Lwazi Malgas of the Joint Tactical Headquarters in Mpumalanga, Mokolopo activated his reaction force, cordoning off the house in order to search it. The house is within the 10 km radius that the SANDF can work independently from the SAPS.

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Three men spotted the soldiers approaching the house and fled.

During the search, the soldiers found 30 bales containing 107 pairs of Jordans, 95 pairs of Nikes, 135 pairs of Adidas sneakers, 239 pairs of Puma shoes and two pairs of Lacoste shoes, worth around R1,1 million in total.

The goods were taken to Komatipoort SARS to be valued and stored.

Later that day, soldiers also confiscated dagga and illegal cigarettes worth R6,330 near Mbuzini.

Bags full of dagga and illegal cigarettes were found while soldiers were patrolling the border.

The battalion of soldiers have just recently been deployed to Macadamia base to combat cross-border crime, and Malgas said their work is outstanding so far.

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